Ideally, our societies would be categorised as equal with compensating factors added to our areas to make them all as even as possible with state and federal government facilities therein or about. 

There are thousands of possible options to give the rural areas a status to be proud of. 

These include extra infrastructure funding; transport services for the ill to get them to specialist medical centres;heavily subsidised online specialist diagnosis services, at-request funding for the paving of footpaths to help get people in need out walking, which could well pay for itself in the long run; a revamp of the in-home care system using contract services doing most domestic jobs including window cleaning, needed to keep the homes of infirm people up to a high standard; expansion of the rural library system to the teaching of people left behind in the IT communication world; urgent upgrades of the rail pedestrian crossings; and elimination of level crossings where a municipality is cut by several crossings. 

Anticipating the usual subtle rejection of these and the many other equalling ideas to the low category municipalities in Victoria seems the next best option. Perhaps another high-powered organisation – or people power – will take up the task. 

Rural Victoria could be called what? Where would it be divided? What city would be best suited to our capital city? It’s an interesting thinking matter. 

Donald Drake, Maryborough

DUCK season opening weekend brings thousands of Victorian hunters and their families into regional Victoria every year.

But the huge boost they provide to our regional economies is under threat because the Andrews Labor Government continues to push its anti-hunting agenda.

Daniel Andrews and Jaala Pulford appear to be undermining the credibility of the Game Management Authority by refusing to adequately support it. Strong enforcement requires a multi-agency response to ensure the small number of people who choose to break the rules face the full force of the law. Instead, Daniel Andrews and Jaala Pulford are using the GMA as a scapegoat to explain Labor’s failure to stand up for Victoria’s more than 130,000 recreational and professional hunters. Duck hunting is a legitimate recreational activity, but Victorian hunters are being penalised by a Labor Government desperate to keep the Greens on side.

Peter Walsh, leader, The National Party

DAN Tehan and the federal government have betrayed workers and local companies in Western Victoria by sending the $5 billion LAND 400 contract to Queensland.

Not content with short changing Victorians when it comes to infrastructure funding, the federal government announced this week that Rheinmetall was the preferred bidder for the LAND 400 contract to build Australia’s next-generation military vehicles.

Rheinmetall will manufacture its vehicles in Queensland – meaning Malcolm Turnbull has dudded Victorians again, denying our state close to $1 billion in economic activity and more than 2000 jobs.

If Dan Tehan and his government had awarded the contract to Victoria, defence manufacturer AME Systems would have expanded its operations, creating as many as 25 new jobs in Ararat. Instead, Ararat may now miss out on these jobs and the economic boost the contract would have brought, due to Malcolm Turnbull’s political decision to shore-up marginal seats in Queensland.

It’s yet another major defence contract the federal government has awarded interstate. 

Victoria is Australia’s home of manufacturing, with a larger industry and workforce than any other state, but it’s ignored by Malcolm Turnbull, with submarines being sent to South Australia, ships to Western Australia and now vehicles to Queensland. This is perhaps not surprising given there isn’t a single Victorian on the National Security Committee of Cabinet, who ultimately make the decisions about where defence contracts are awarded.

Given Victoria’s manufacturing capability and our proven track record delivering armoured vehicles, it makes no sense for this project to be based outside of Victoria. Victoria’s defence sector is worth $8 billion to the local economy every year, and is made up of about 20,000 workers and more than 400 businesses.

Ben Carroll, Victorian Industry and Employment Minister